The research group led by Dr. Mingyang Lv from the Institute of Space Earth Sciences and the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering at Nanjing University, involving CBAS, the Institute for National Parks at Tsinghua University, and Wildland Research Institute at the University of Leeds recently made a new breakthrough in sustainable development research.
Using glimmer data from SDGSAT-1, the study focused on seven long-distance trails in the United States. The researchers proposed a high-timeliness method for quantifying human populations and developed an Enhanced Human Footprint Index (E-HFI) map to measure the impact of human activities on wilderness areas. This study offers a new perspective on assessing human activity impacts across various ecosystems and regions, providing valuable insights for the conservation and sustainable development of wilderness along long-distance trails.
The research findings were published on November 11, 2024, in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment under the title, “Evaluating the wilderness status of long-distance trails in the United States: Exploring the potential of SDGSAT-1 glimmer imager data” (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114499). This work is supported by International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (grant no. CBAS2022GSP02).
The abstract of the paper is as follows:
Long-distance hiking trails worldwide serve as vital ‘threads’ connecting vast wilderness areas, offering unique opportunities to evaluate progress toward the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, their extensive lengths pose challenges for data collection, limiting their potential use in sustainable development research. Remote sensing technologies, such as high-spatial-resolution and color glimmer imager data from SDGSAT-1, hold promise in addressing these challenges. This study focuses on seven prominent U.S. long-distance trails: the Appalachian Trail, Arizona National Scenic Trail, Buckeye Trail, Hayduke Trail, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Pacific Northwest Trail, along with 20 km buffer zones surrounding each trail. By integrating glimmer and population data, we introduce a method to quantify human populations within these wilderness areas. Anthropogenic indicators, including population density, land use, grazing intensity, and transportation networks, are used to develop a wilderness evaluation methodology, employing an enhanced human footprint index. Our findings offer a comparative assessment of the wilderness conditions across the selected trails, providing insights into varying levels of human impact and identifying areas where conservation efforts are most urgently needed.
Fig.1 Introduction to SDGSAT-1
Fig.2 E-HFI map
